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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 8:31PM
#31
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Honestly my reading of things from the start was he was never gung-ho on the whole job. There was rumor, rumor, rumor, and finally he says he's 'consulting' with Mike on his column, and then maybe rumor, rumor he's going to consult on designing the game, and then finally he's "on the team". Didn't sound to me like he really lept at the chance to start with, for whatever reasons. They finally tempted him to give it a try. Things weren't that exciting, he's going on to other stuff, no hard feelings guys.
Now, that could be over a lot of things. Maybe he asked for a lot of money since he wasn't that hot on doing it to start with, maybe its personal stuff, maybe its creative, or personalities, or 100 things. Maybe its no one thing. Most of the time in the real world simple answers for these things are wrong or too limited.
That is not dead which may eternal lie
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 8:44PM
#32
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2012
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Also in product development, I'm frequently signing NDAs and do-not-compete style docs. I sometimes leave projects for creative differences sometimes for reorganization and once for another job. But simply because I leave doesn't mean I don't endorse what I was working on. Further, I wouldnt want to burn bridges (classy guy or not) because it expos could expose me to litigation. So let's just thank Monte for the hard work, look forward to his next awesome campaign setting, rock the 5/24 playtest, and quit whining or speculating like church ladies.
I agree. Everybody should just calm the heck down!
Lets see the playtest and then argue and cry (or not).
A developer has left, for whatever reason. Baseless accusations and speculation is pointless and will only wind you up.
Maybe 5e was too much like 4e for Monte or maybe it wasn't enough like 4e, maybe Flame the Dragon will be pink in the next edition and Monte won't stand for pink dragons, maybe some non-design considerations with the game caused him to quit (only released in collectable card format with added electronic content accessed through barcodes and all dice will be d30s), maybe Monte had a problem with some part of Hasbro completely unrelated to the design of 5e, maybe Monte has a cool side project and WotC made him choose and he chose the one most exciting to him. Who knows? Frankly who cares? Let's just wish the chap only the very best in future endevours and hold our guns until we see the 5e playtest.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 8:44PM
#33
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Monte has to be very careful about what he says. He can't rock the boat or say anything that could be disparaging about D&DN. His words at this point can have a negative impact on D&DN sales. If I were him I would be very careful about saying anything that could result in a lawsuit (I aslo assume that his contract will have limitations on what he can say upon leaving the company).
He didn't mention Mike Mearls. It is rather a large oversight not to mention your boss... not something most people would forget about.
TBH I wonder how long this has been coming. it seemed odd to me when Mike Mearls took Legends & Lore back. His explanation seemed a little... off to me. But then I'm a cynical person.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 8:52PM
#34
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2012
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He didn't mention Mike Mearls. It is rather a large oversight not to mention your boss... not something most people would forget about.
Bruce and Mike have known each other since 8th grade and were for a period while at TSR housemates. It may be that he mentioned Rob for similar reasons.
Who knows?
We may all be reading way too much into this.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 11:18PM
#35
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Date Joined:
Feb 12, 2009
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Ok. I get that. Just a small question though.
This is what Monte actually said:
Last week I decided that I would leave my contract position with Wizards of the Coast. I am no longer working on Dungeons & Dragons, although I may provide occasional consultation in the future. My decision is one based on differences of opinion with the company. However, I want to take this time to stress that my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell. I enjoyed every moment of working with them over the past year. I have faith that they'll create a fun game. I'm rooting for them.
Would it have been "badmouthing a former employer" if he had said this instead:
Last week I decided that I would leave my contract position with Wizards of the Coast. I am no longer working on Dungeons & Dragons, although I may provide occasional consultation in the future. My decision is one based on creative differences. However, I want to take this time to stress that my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell. I enjoyed every moment of working with them over the past year. I have faith that they'll create a fun game. I'm rooting for them.
No. But the first paragraph could mean exactly the same thing. It would have been more harmful to WOTC if he had put out the second paragraph. He would have rallied the anti-4e crew against D&D5e (more so than we already are). He's just not a spiteful evil guy. That doesn't mean he didn't have creative differences. I can't imagine anything but those kinds of differences getting him to leave. I can't imagine it being pay, vacation, even release schedule or OGL. Honestly none of those are essential to the game. He could still be part of producing a great game regardless of those other things. He might have an opinion but I don't see him giving up on D&D for those things.
Also he didn't mention everyone. And the people he didn't mention are in my opinion those most likely defending 4e. I also think Mearls response is somewhat indicative. Monte can't always have his way. I agree but Monte isn't going to put his name on something he thinks is bad so they parted. Good luck with that. They hit one of his dealbreakers.
Dude is it possible that he just wanted to keep his updates coming on his blog and quickly wrote something on what might be an emotional day for him, and that Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell were just the two guys on the team that he worked with the most. I know at my job there are people on the teams I work on that I hardly even know the name of and I'm a mutant that always remembers names. Depending upon the light you shine on it it's either an clandestined coded message or just a guy talkin to the two guys he always hung out with at work.
montecook.livejournal.com/251693.html
boom looks like I was right.
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 11:42PM
#36
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2012
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..."window.parent.tinyMCE.get('post_content').onLoad.dispatch();" contenteditable="true" />This is what Monte actually said:
Last week I decided that I would leave my contract position with Wizards of the Coast. I am no longer working on Dungeons & Dragons, although I may provide occasional consultation in the future. My decision is one based on differences of opinion with the company. However, I want to take this time to stress that my differences were not with my fellow designers, Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell. I enjoyed every moment of working with them over the past year. I have faith that they'll create a fun game. I'm rooting for them...."window.parent.tinyMCE.get('post_content').onLoad.dispatch();" contenteditable="true">
Also he didn't mention everyone. And the people he didn't mention are in my opinion those most likely defending 4e. I also think Mearls response is somewhat indicative. Monte can't always have his way. I agree but Monte isn't going to put his name on something he thinks is bad so they parted. Good luck with that. They hit one of his dealbreakers.
Dude ... Rob Schwalb and Bruce Cordell were just the two guys on the team that he worked with the most.
montecook.livejournal.com/251693.html
boom looks like I was right.
So -
a) Monte dosn't have a Secret Feud (tm) with Mike Mearls.
b) Monte has faith in the 5e design team.
Darn! What will we pointlessly whip ourselves up into a frenzy of pointless speculation about now?
Quick - somebody, invent a rumor!
Ooh - I know! Monte didn't sit next to Wolfgang Baur at Norwescon so obviously they are feuding over something and Wolfgang is being boughtn in to replace Monte because Monte disagreed with The Man telling him that all the optional rules had to be designed fit on 1" square cardstock. Ogre Whiteside is being bought on to do all the art, I know that based on the fact that nobody has mentioned that he isn't so it must be true reading between the lines. Erm... Phil Brucato is coming in to redesign all elves as blood-drinking were-hedgehogs. Healing Surges to be collectable in packs of random minis. All dice must be color-coded to the attribute they are being rolled for. There will be 8 attributes (Perception and Cumliness are making a comeback). All distances to be measured in hexes. A free monkey with every purchase!
Commence the frothing!
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 11:54PM
#37
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Date Joined:
Aug 19, 2007
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The most sensible idea I've heard about this is too much pressure from Hasbro. Pressure on creativity ("No you won't do that because it goes against our marketing strategy"), pressure on deadlines ("This should be ready by September!"), pressure on content too ("This content is too mature for our target audience, the game should be played by my kids!"). Pressure on content distribution within the releases, sort of like "only the four core classes and nothing else on launch, we launch this september, spare the rest for later supplements".
The other sensible idea is that Monte is too nice to say that he had issues with his coworkers. It happens.
Are you interested in an online 4E game on Sunday? Contact me with a PM! Spoiler:
Show
Reflavoring: the change of flavor without changing any mechanical part of the game, no matter how small, in order to fit the mechanics to an otherwise unsupported concept.
Retexturing: the change of flavor (with at most minor mechanical adaptations) in order to effortlessly create support for a concept without inventing anything new.
Houseruling: the change, either minor or major, of the mechanics in order to better reflect a certain aspect of the game, including adapting the rules to fit an otherwise unsupported concept.
Homebrewing: the complete invention of something new that fits within the system in order to reflect an unsupported concept. Ideas for 5ESpoiler:
Show
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1 year ago ::
Apr 25, 2012 - 11:56PM
#38
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Date Joined:
Jun 15, 2006
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I´m sorry but I think I should say it´s a bad sign for me. I wish the best one for the next D&D but WotC ought be careful. The public beta will be 24th May..Will it not? The fans will not have mercy if they don´t like the game, and they will not doubt to say the reason.
"Say me what you're showing off for, and I'll say you what you lack!" (Spanish saying)
Book 13 Anaclet 23
Confucius said: "The Superior Man is in harmony but does not follow the crowd. The inferior man follows the crowd, but is not in harmony"
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1 year ago ::
Apr 26, 2012 - 12:11AM
#39
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Date Joined:
May 11, 2005
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Monte didn't sit next to Wolfgang Baur at Norwescon so obviously they are feuding over something and Wolfgang is being boughtn in to replace Monte because Monte disagreed with The Man telling him that all the optional rules had to be designed fit on 1" square cardstock. Ogre Whiteside is being bought on to do all the art, I know that based on the fact that nobody has mentioned that he isn't so it must be true reading between the lines. Erm... Phil Brucato is coming in to redesign all elves as blood-drinking were-hedgehogs. Healing Surges to be collectable in packs of random minis. All dice must be color-coded to the attribute they are being rolled for. There will be 8 attributes (Perception and Cumliness are making a comeback). All distances to be measured in hexes. A free monkey with every purchase!
Woot! I hope there are elves in the playtest! Can I take the Extra Spiky elven racial feat?
Gomez
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1 year ago ::
Apr 26, 2012 - 7:10AM
#40
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Date Joined:
Jan 18, 2012
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Monte didn't sit next to Wolfgang Baur at Norwescon so obviously they are feuding over something and Wolfgang is being boughtn in to replace Monte because Monte disagreed with The Man telling him that all the optional rules had to be designed fit on 1" square cardstock. Ogre Whiteside is being bought on to do all the art, I know that based on the fact that nobody has mentioned that he isn't so it must be true reading between the lines. Erm... Phil Brucato is coming in to redesign all elves as blood-drinking were-hedgehogs. Healing Surges to be collectable in packs of random minis. All dice must be color-coded to the attribute they are being rolled for. There will be 8 attributes (Perception and Cumliness are making a comeback). All distances to be measured in hexes. A free monkey with every purchase!
Woot! I hope there are elves in the playtest! Can I take the Extra Spiky elven racial feat?
Gomez
I hear it is only available if you multiclass into were-owl because a friend of a friend was at a playtest and saw an owl mini. It is therefore obvious that David Bowie will be recording the voices on a CD where the racial feats will be read aloud between King Crimson tracks - the only way to get racial feats in 5e now that Mr Baur is in charge! Also Monte Cook was just a marketing ploy, he never actually existed and the reason he 'left' is that the actor who plays him has been offered the role of Conan in a new movie called Savage Conan vs The Spiders from Mars. I'm nerdraging so hard at my own pointless speculation that I'm *literally* crying into my keyboard.
 < Keyboard out of shot, hidden by my nerdy nerdy tears.
In all seriousness I'm keen to see what Monte Cook has moved on to, it might be an exciting project.
I'm also keen to see 5e on the 24th.
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